"Marilyn & Bob" wrote in message
news:RTHYi.7875$Cc.7251@trndny09...
In the tenants' apartment in our 1840's townhouse a portion of the wide
plank soft pine floor has cracked. My intention is to cut out and replace
the cracked piece with a patch of modern clear pine stained and polyed to
match the rest of the board (it is under a rug anyway). The patch would
be three inches wide between two joists (22" OC) while the original board
is 8 feet long. In order to do this I have to cut out about a 3" wide
piece of this board out across the top of one joist. So I only have
access from the top of the board. My guess is the best way to do this is
with a sharp pointed knife. Do you think either one of these would work:

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...332,43393&ap=1
or
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...t=1,51222&ap=1

(my guess is the Murphy Knife set would be better for cutting from the top
with the knife at an angle)
or what about a simple utility knife? Any other thoughts?

What's wrong with a circular saw? Just be careful of the depth you set it
to. You'll still need to finish the corners though.

A rotary saw may be better for this job, but they can be quite hard to
control.